Milk-bottle capper



" May 5, 1931. v w, oobwm 1,803,328

MILK BOTTLE CAPPER Filed April 5, 1929 Patented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARL W. GOOD'WIN, OF WAYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO AMERICAN SEAL-KAI CORPORATION, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE MILK-BOTTLE CAPPER Application filed April 3, 1929. Serial 110. 352,220.

This invention relates to hand operated devices for capping milk bottles and the like,

and has for an object to produce a device for capping such bottles with caps covering the entire tops of the bottles and having -depressed central portions resting on the usual internal ledges thereof. Such caps are shown, for example, in the Baum Patent No. 1,668,349 dated May 1, 1928.

Cappers constructed according to this invention are particularly intended for use by the small milk dealers who have too small a member of bottles to cap to warrant the expense of purchasing a power capper. According to this invention the capper consists of a plunger having a plurality of resilient fingers carried by a suitable head, these fingers being shaped to engage the central portion of the cap and seat it on the bottle ledge under pressure exerted by the hand on the head of the capper, the capper also having an outer annular shoulder portion eifective to prevent the outer'p ortion of the cap which engages over the bottle-pouring lip from lifting when the central portion of the cap is seated. These resilient portions may be formed integral with the head portion, the

capper being preferably formed of a single block of wood cut to shape, the resilient portions being formed by forming a plurality of substantially diametrical saw cuts extending upwardly from its lower end.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the capper.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan of the same.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the capper about to set a cap on a bottle.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the setting operation;

Referring to the drawings, at 1 is shown a plunger preferably formed from a single block of wood having ahead portion 2 at its upper end which may be grasped by the hand of the operator, and a plurality of resilient fingers 3 extending downwardly from the head portion 2. The ends of these finger portions together form a central plunger exten sion 4 circular in outline which may be bore covering portions 6. This central bore covering portion as shown is formed of a disk 7 seated on a somewhat dome-shaped portion 8 integral with the pouring lip housing 5, the edge of the disk engaging against the inner wall 9 ofthe pouring lip housing. Above the lower end of the portion 4 the plunger is provided with a substantially flat annular shoulder portion 10, this being spaced above the lower end of the portion 4 a distance substantially equal to the height of the pouring lip housin of the cap above the upper face of the dis; 7. The portions 4 and 10 are integral with the head portion 2 and as shown are divided by substantially diametrical slots 11 which may be formed by' cutting upwardly from the lower end of the plunger with a saw. A hole 12 is formed centrally substantially to the upper ends of the cuts 11. This cutting of the glunger produces the fingers which are su ciently resilient so that when pressure is applied to the cap they tend to spread apart and seat the cap firmly on the bottle and to expand the inner wall of the pouring lip housing against the inner wall of the bottle neck adjacent to the ledge 15. A cap having been placed on the bottle, as shown in Figure 3, the capper is brought down thereon, the portion 4 entering inwardly of the pouring lip housing and engaging the bore covering portion of the cap. To facilitate pressing the cap down into proper position the initial pressure ofthe capper should be at a slight angle as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4, and when one side portion of the central eration, but without however exerting any substantial pressure on the housing such as would tend to deform it and cause its outer edge to flare away from the top of the bottle. It is preferable to u wardly dome the lower end of the plunger ngers at 20 as this permits the central portion of the cap to bulge upwardly in case the bottle should be slightly too full of milk when the cap is applied and it is also effective to exert an outward component of pressure when the cap is applied which tends to spread the lower ends of the fingers to' expand the pouring lip housing against the inner wall of the bottle above the ledge 15.

An embodiment of this invention having thus been described it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claim.

A device of the class described comprising a one piece plunger having a central portion at one end of reduced diameter to be entered within the annular pouring lip housing of a milk bottle cap and engage on the marginal portion of the bore covering portion of said cap, said portion of reduced diameter extending to an annular substantially flat shoulder spaced above the end of said housing, said plunger having ahead at its upper end and being divided from its lower end substantially to said head by a plurality of substantially diametrical slots and having a central perforation extending from the lower end substantially to said head to provide a plurality of resilient cap-engaging fingers, the ends of said fingers bein free to yield from each other when pressed against said cap, the lower ends of said fingers being upward ly domed.

whereof I have affixed my In testimony signature.

CARL W. GOODWIN. 

